Ipanema Bitch

Banana Compote

2011-07-19T15:32:00.009-04:00

I grew up with this "compote". When bananas where really cheap at the market, my mom would buy a ton of them, cook it, and conserve it in jars, so it was always available.

In Brazil, we eat it with a creamy cheese called "requeijão", but a cream cheese will do just fine.

Once you add the spices in, the house smells so good, you'll want to do it over and over again.

INGREDIENTS:

12 large bananas, ripe (over ripe works great as well)
4 cups water
4 cup sugar
4 stick cinnamon
5 cloves, whole
Juice from 1 lime

PREPARATION:

In a heavy saucepan (high heat), dissolve sugar well in water. Peel and cut bananas in rounds, about 1.2 inch, and add to the pan. When it starts boiling, add the lime juice (it will make it a beautifull purle-red color) and the cinnamon and cloves.
Reduce heat to lowest. During the first 10, 15 minutes, it will form a "foam" on top, that will make the compote more cristaline if you remove it once in a while. Will not change the tase, just make it look even more delicious.
Cover it, and cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. If necessary, add more water; don't let it dry out, you want to end up with a nice syrup.
Let it cool off and conserve it in sterilized jars. Will last longer in the refrigerator.

SERVING:

Serve with cream cheese or requeijão. Sounds weird, tastes great!!!

Also great with vanilla ice cream.

The "nothing green" salad

2010-03-28T09:47:00.007-04:00

My daughter is in her school's theater group, and I always have to come up with "non voice damaging" dinner solutions to bring to her before the performances। Salads work great because I can put them in a cooler with ice packs and not have to be there at cast/crew dinnertime.

Last weekend, I had an extra challenge: I was bringing a friend from work who will not eat anything that is green, and he was helping me out setting up the concession stand, so I had to bring dinner for us as well

I remembered this jewel from old times in Brazil, worked like a charm, daughter and colleague were happy (and it took me 10 min to make it, the night before, it does not get soggy)

Dressing:

1-cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ketchup
½ tablespoon olive oil
1-teaspoon mustard

Salad

2 carrots
Shredded chicken (breasts work best), as much as you want —I would do a whole breast.
1 cup shredded carrots
1 can corn
½ cup frozen peas
½ cup raisins (can be omitted for picky eaters like mine)

Topping:

1-cup potato sticks (we make it from scratch in Brazil, but it is dangerous and I would not recommend it, so just get the packaged one, you can find it in the potato chips section at the supermarket) If you cant find it, get potato chips and crush them in a zip-lock bag

Mix all dressing ingredients with a whisk, then add it to all the other salad ingredient. Taste for salt and pepper. Top it all with the potato sticks.

After that, my colleaguewas healthier and my daughter’s performance was fantastic, here is a sneak peak:

Meat and Chicken Fondue, Brazilian style sauces

2009-12-28T23:04:00.062-05:00

When I moved to the US, I was surprised by the number of people who thought Fondue had to be cheese, and cheese only.

I do not know why, but we love meat fondue in Rio. You have to turn your air conditioner at the highest setting, or wait for the 2 days a year where the temperature reaches 65F to eat it, but we even have "medieval" style restaurants (with cold stone walls and a killer air conditioning system) so we can enjoy it.

When a couple gets married in Brazil, you can be sure they will get about 10 fondue sets, go figure.

If I have less than 15 people for Christmas Eve dinner, I always have a fondue—Brazilian traditional Christmas food is very similar to Thanksgiving, and I just had turkey 3.5 weeks ago.

I set up a very colorful table, with 1 fondue set per 3/4 people (the picture here was for the leftovers the following day, just our own family and to meet my daughter's new "boyfriend"). I always forget to take pictures at my own parties, ARGH.

Anyway, it's always a very festive meal. Here is how it goes:

The day before, I do all my shopping and cut the meat and chicken, and try to get most of the sauces ingredients chopped, so the day of the party i do not have to worry.

If you can afford filet mignon (beef tenderloin) it is the best meat you can use. I refuse, East Coast prices make it impossible. As a good Brazilian, I know there is always a "jeitinho" (way around it), so I buy sirloin steaks from Costco at 2.99 lb, and, after cutting it in bite size cuber (1" x 1"), I marinate it overnight in olive oil, salt, pepper, sweet paprika and large slices of onions. The next day, your sirloin will magically turn into beef tenderloin.

What you'll need:

A Fondue set (including fondue forks) - I like the metal ones because of the temperature it reaches.
Fondue Fuel
Fondue Plates (I just found these great ones), or you can just use regular plates
meat and chicken (details below)
dipping sauces (details below)

Ingredients :

1/2 pound (total) of meat per person, that can be a combination of:
Beef tenderloin or Beef Sirloin (with the above marinade)
Skinless Chicken breasts
Vegetable oil
Garlic cloves (1 peeled/1 with skin per pot)

Trim the fat from the mean; cut into bit-size cubes. Keep refrigerated until 20 minutes before cooking.
Rub a garlic clove inside the fondue dish.
Fill a metal fondue pot about 1/2 full .Leave an unpeeled garlic clove in the oil as well. Heat the oil on the stove until the garlic clove starts frying (do not remove it from the oil, it avoids burning and darkening)
Set the fondue pot on the stand over a moderately high direct heat and maintain the heat.

To Serve:

Dry the meat and chicken pieces (take the onions out of the meat if you are doing the marinade). Serve them on the table in various bowls (from one per person to one per 2 fondue sets, whatever fits best).
Each guest spears a cube of meat with a fondue fork, leaves it in the hot oil until cooked to the desired doneness usually 1 to 3 minutes.
Serve with any kind of “oven” potatoes (scalloped, daphinoise, or the best of all, rotis potatoes- see recipe here) as well as the dipping sauces below (my favorites, you can always create your own), and dipping sauces.

Dipping Sauces:

Vegetable Pickes sauce

2 cups of mayonnaise
2 teaspoons of chopped onion
4 teaspoons ketchup
2 tablespoons chopped vegetable pickles (known as Giardinera, has carrots, cauliflower, onions, etc)
1 teaspoon of mustard
1 teaspoon Worcester sauce
½ tablespoon chopped parsley
½ teaspoon chopped chives
1/2 cup of chopped cornishons
pepper (no salt needed)

Mix everything together and refrigerate

Green Apple Sauce

1 1/2 cup (tea) of mayonnaise
1 cup of whipping cream, lightly whipped –
1 green apple finely chopped –
parsley chopped –
salt & pepper

Mix everything together and refrigerate

Strawberry sauce

2 cup of mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons of strawberry jam
2 tablespoons celery finely chopped

Mix everything together and refrigerate

Aioli

2 cups of Mayonnaise
4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 egg yolks
salt and pepper

Blend then refrigerate for the minimum of 2 hours

Warm Celery sauce

250 g whipping crème
4 tablespoons chopped (very small) celery
1 tablespoon of butter
1 small onion, grated
salt

Heat the butter in a saucepan, add the onion and let it get “golden”. Add the celery and mix for 1 minute

Add the whipping cream and as soon as it starts to boil, add the salt and turn it off. Should be served warm.

Sour Cream Mustard Sauce

1/2 pint sour cream
1/2 mayonnaise
1/4 cup prepared mustard
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
Dash of Hot Pepper Sauce, such as Tabasco

Mix and refrigerate

Prune sauce

1 small jar prune jam
Whipping cream (slightly whipped)

Mix and refrigerate

Rosti Potatoes

2009-12-27T15:53:00.005-05:00

This is the best kind of potatoes for meat or chicken fondue. If you don't eat bacon, substitute it for a handful of Gruyere cheese.

Ingredients :

1/2 lb smoked bacon

2 lbs of chopped onions

2 lbs of starchy potatoes (I like Yukon)

Method :

Put the unpeeled (washed) potatoes in a pan of salted water, bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes, they shouldn't be completely cooked. Better to be undercooked than overcooked. Drain, layout in a single layer and cool overnight or at least 4 hours.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan and cook the bacon until crisp, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. In the same pan cook the onions until soft and beginning to brown at the edges, add more olive oil if needed. Add to the bacon.
Peel and shred the potatoes on a box grater into a wide bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and 10 good turns of fresh ground black pepper.
Add 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and 10 good turns of fresh ground black pepper
Add 1/2 cup of the bacon mixture
Toss it around careful not break up the strands of potato.
Heat up your skillet over moderate heat. Add a Tablespoon of vegetable oil, swirl around and add a big Tablespoon of butter and swirl. Be sure to twirl when you swirl. Add the potatoes into a nice even layer.
Pull the heat back to medium and continue cooking about 3 minutes shaking the pan from time to time.
Once they are nice and golden brown on the side you cannot see flip them. To flip the rosti put a plate over pan and turn it over.
Cook about the same amount of time as the first side.
Slide into a plate and serve immediately.

NOTE: It is also a great Breakfast.

Quick and easy 3 ingredients Chicken

2009-12-26T15:59:00.006-05:00

As much as I love cooking, some days I just cannot get myself together to do it. For those days, I have a few "quick and easy" Brazilian recipes that save my dinner from being something hat came from a box. This one is a great family please, even my daughter, who will not eat bacon, removes the bacon after it is cooked and really enjoys it — the chicken absorbs the flavor.

INGREDIENTS (Yep, that's only 3):

Boneless and skinless Chicken thighs

Ketchup

Slices of Bacon (1 per chicken thigh)

COOKING IT:

Rub the ketchup all over the chicken so it is fully coated
“Reconstruct" the thighs into their original shapes in a glass dish
Bake at 350/375°F for about 30 minutes, until bacon is crispy on top

TIPS

There will some liquid on the dish. It will have a lot of the fat of the bacon, so you can remove it, reduce it and use it for a recipe that requires bacon or duck fat, works great!

Serve with a salad and/or any kind of potatoes (baked, scalloped, mashed

Best Bolognese sauce I ever came across

2009-12-24T15:10:00.003-05:00

Before visiting Italy, I used to think bolognese sauce was way different, like tomatoes and meat. Girlfriend, was I wrong. I am lucky I got the recipe from a Florentine book.

The flavors in this sauce are very rich, and I like that it uses vegetables (that get cooked for very long) and my boy still loves it.

It is not an intensive tomato based sauce, even though it uses a lot of tomatoes, and once you try it, it is hard to order it at a restaurant and be happy, so it is a dangerous recipe.

It takes a long time to make, so I make a ton of it at once, it freezes very well. I also use left overs for a lasagna recipe, will post it soon....

Ingredients (I usually will cook 3 times this recipe at once)

One onion
One carrot
One stick of celery
parsley
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
300g minced meat (I like to combine pork, veal and beef, but sometime just do plain turkey and it also works fine)
100g chicken livers (it looks weird at first, but will make a huge difference)
One glass red wine
700g tomatoes (yes, you can use canned, make it one 14oz can)
Salt
Pepper
Pasta of your choice, cook as per instructions(I like tagliatelle)

Cook it

Finely chop the onion, carrot, celery and parsley. Fry gently in the oil over a medium heat.
Add the minced meat (do not use mince which is too lean!) and the washed and cleaned livers, finely chopped.
Add salt and cook rapidly for at least ten minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon so that the meat does not stick to the pan.
When the sauce has become golden brown in colour, add the wine and leave to evaporate.
Lower the heat and add the peeled and puréed tomatoes (or canned). Cook over a low heat for half an hour and taste for salt.

If you want a very light sauce, stop here. If you want a much thicker, richer sauce (like the photo) , let it cook for an extra 1.5 hours, on very low heat.

I serve it with a green salad and a loaf of bread.

I freeze the extra sauce in Ice cube trays and put all the cubes in a zip lock bag, and just defrost what I need.

Great and emergency food.

Products that make my life easier...

2009-09-04T20:13:00.002-04:00

If I had to pick the first one, it would be Nestle's table cream. It is like heavy cream, just 10 times better. If you are cooking a savory dish, you should remove the "water" by placing it in the refrigerator (never the freezer, the thing does not freeze well) for 1 hour, the "watery stuff" will separate.

But if you are using it for a dessert (or on top of a fruit, or on coffee), use it straight out of the can, it is to die for.

Recipes below:

Super Easy Alfredo - Nestle table Cream 2

2009-09-02T21:59:00.003-04:00

To make sure, we are not counting calories, just deliciousness!

Ingredients:

1 package of fettuccine pasta
Nestle table cream
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup parmesan (real, not processed) grated cheese
Salt
Freshly grated pepper (not fresh? will not make it!)

Cook it:

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon salt when water is boiling.

Add fettucine pasta. Cook according to package directions (I like Barilla). Drain; cover and set aside.

IN a large skillet, melt butter.

Stir in cream, cheese, salt and pepper (be careful on the salt, the cheese gets salty)

Cook over medium heat 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. When hot, stir in fettucine.

After 1-2 minutes, when pasta is hot, serve accompanied by extra cheese and pepper for sprinkling, if desired.

Using the Nestle cream 1 - Brazilian Strogonoff

2009-08-29T10:34:00.001-04:00

This was my favorite recipe when I was a kid, There are thousands of versions in Brazil, but this one beats them all. Adding cream instead of sour cream is a Brazilian "invention". We are kinda "creative".

INGREDIENTS

Butter

Vegetable oil

2 lbs filet mignon or beef tenderloin steaks, cut into small cubes and seasoned with salt and black pepper to taste

1 finelly chopped onion

1 clove of garlic

1 large can on button mushroom or slivered mushrooms

2 tablespoons of cognac (to flambée)

1 can Nestle table cream (you can use heavy cream, but will not be the same)

5 tablespoons ketchup

2 tablespoons mustard

1 tablespoon flour

Worcestershire sauce

COOKING IT:

In a medium pan, sautée unseasoned meat (a little at a time so it does not release a lot of water) in high heat with butter. Add salt and pepper and mix.

Add Cognac and flambée until the flames die out.

In a another pan, brown onion with garlic and add to the meat . Add the ketchup, mustard

In a bowl, mix the table cream, with 2 teaspoons of flour. Add to the pan and cook for 5 min until it thickens.

Serve it with white rice and sautée potatoes (cooked the French way)

TIPS

Beef: let the steak rest about 1-2 hours, out of the fridge before preparing the dish. The beef has to sautée and not cook, so it is best to brown it in high heat and don't let it release too much juice in the pan.

If you are freezing it, only add the cream after it is defrosted.

You may substitute steak for chicken breast or shrimp

Brazilian Rice and Beans

2009-06-23T23:02:00.002-04:00

I met Amy for the first time on a street in Paris, and she was angry about politics and would not stop talking, I thought she was fun and invited her for coffee and we've survived a lot of Parisian problems, including "What do you serve Roman Polanski when he comes by" together.

She's been an important part of my life since then. One of Amy's kids just got arrested on a Criminal Sleeper charge (partying too hard, confusing your friend's crash pool house with the neighbors' pool house) and now he just lost his cell phone in Shanghai, on a nerd study program. Last year they were all in a Safari in Kenya, not a tour, the real thing. You gotta love this family. After my kids, Amy's kids are the best in the world. And her kids like my cooking, a lot. Believe it or not, their favorite from my repertoire is Brazilian rice and beans. I am considering Fedexing it.

Amy does not cook, but she asked me for the recipes last week, so I guess one of the other kids threatened her "I either get the rice an beans or I will go get arrested too" There are just so many bails you can pay, Amy, so make sure to write it down....

Of course, I do not have any measurements, will try my best

RICE

2 cups Jasmine Rice - ONLY use Jasmine rice, make sure it is not uncle ben's or Goya, has to come from Thailand.
Olive oil
1 clove smashed Garlic

Put some olive oil in the pan (like 1 tablespoon)

Add garlic Add rice and stirr until translucent Add enough water to be 1 inch above the rice line Add salt Bring it to a boil, until waters starts to dry out reduce flame to minimum and cover, about 7 minutes. Done

THE BEANS

Never, ever use canned beans.

I like Pinto bean, or small pink beans. No kidney beans.
Soak 2 bags of the beans in water for 20 minutes
Wash them out
Cook them with water and Chicken Boullion (I lke Knorr) istead of salt, to taste and 1 bay leaf After 40 min, add garlic powder, and onion powder (to taste), and 1/2 kielbasa sliced, and let it cook for 1/2 hour more.

The Real Brazilian Flan (Pudim, or Caramel Flan)

2009-02-01T17:30:00.006-05:00

My friend David loves flan. Sometimes, he even dreams about it.

David used to own this large company, so every Christmas they used to have a potluck dinner, and trying to make "the boss" happy, all latin women in the company would bring their own secret recipe family flan.

David tells me he never tasted any flan there that compared to the one below. This is the real thing, the one that used to come in the cans of condensed milk 30 years ago.

AH! Flan should NEVER be eaten with fruit. The only thing you can eat flan with is caramel sauce.

Brazilian Milk Pudim (flan)

Ingredients:

A. Caramel sauce:
1 1⁄2 cups of sugar
2 cups of water

B. Flan:
1 can of sweetened condensed milk (the best one is "La Lechera" from Nestle. I buy it at the Norwalk stop and Shop or any Hispanic market. If you can't find it, Magnolia is second best)

1 can of milk of full milk (use the can from the condensed milk to measure the milk) 3-4 eggs (depends o the size)

1 baking mold with a whole in the center like this one (cannot be the ones with a removable bottom)

Preparation:

A. Caramel sauce:

Melt the sugar (over low heat) in a pan.
Add the water and bring to a boil until it forms a caramel syrup.
Pour the caramel into the mold and spread it by rotating the mold.

B. Flan:

Blend all the ingredients in the blender.
Pour the mixture in a caramelized flan mold (with a whole in the center, like this one).
Bake the pudding in a water bath (Bain-Marie) for 50 min to 1 hour at 330 F – tops needs to be golden brown
Let the flan cool down completely
Remove the flan from the mold when it is cold and serve. Run a knife around it before you turn the mold upside down
If you cannot loosen it from the mold before turning, heat the bottom of the mold in the flame and it should do it (caramel can get hard sometimes)

Another variation is the Pudim de Laranja (Orange Flan). There is a great Recipe here...

Brazilian Cooking Expressions - how they can help your next meeting

2009-01-29T21:17:00.003-05:00

I did hear this in a meeting this week. It was an answer for this simple question — "what are those circles and what do they represent?"

Answer:

These are hypothetical placeholders for digital core components that will turn into leverage able emotional motivators.

WTF? If you know what it means, PLEASE leave me a comment!!!

As a good Brazilian Cook who cannot stand seeing people embarrassing themselves in meetings anymore, so I translated a bunch of very useful Portuguese Expressions (all related to food, thank you Rainhas do Lar) that can be perfect in almost every business situation.

Hey, all you "Leverage a robust application" people, take a look, maybe you will make more sense in your next meeting!

And do not complain next time I tell you you're comparing mangoes to papayas!

Quem não chora, não mama.
One who does not cry, does not get nursed
(you have to fight for what you want)

Eu quero mais é vender meu peixe!
What I want is to sell my fish
(to promote myself/my company)

Puxar brasa para minha sardinha
Bring the hot coal to my sardine
(to manipulate things so I become more valuable- to the company, a girl, a situation, etc)

Panela velha é que faz comida boa.
Old pans cook the best foods
(experience is everything - also has a sexual meaning: a younger guy who starts dating an older woman would use this sentence)

Pão-pão, queijo-queijo.
Bread-bread, cheese-cheese
(an eye for an eye)

Fulana se acha a rainha da cocada preta.
So-and-so thinks she is the queen of the black coconut sweets
(she’s a know-it-all)

Saco vazio não pára em pé.
An empty sack does not stand still
(will not happen on an empty stomack)

Fulano é osso duro de roer.
So-and-so is a hard bone to chew
(So-and-so is too complicated)

Fulano é carne de pescoço!
So-and-so is neck meat
(So-and-so is dfficult)

É o cão chupando manga!
It’s a dog sucking a mango
(Its really ugly)

De caju em caju.
From cashew to cashew
(once in a while)

Tô segurando a maior batata quente!.
I am holding a hot potato!
(I have a problem)

Aquilo foi o maior pepino!
That was a huge cucumber!
(big problem)

O cara é o maior come quieto...
He’s an eat-in-silence...
(does things without bragging about it)

Fulano me deu bolo.
So-and-so gave me the cake
(So-and-so did not show up)

Pimenta no cu/olhos dos outros é refresco.
Pepper in other people’s ass/eyes is like a refreshing beverage.
(you only feel it when it happens to you)

O teste tava canja de galinha.
The test was chicken soup
(the test was very easy)

Ela não é sopa!
She is not soup!
(she’s not easy)

Aqui, Tudo acaba em pizza.
Here, It all ends in pizza.
(corruption, specially related to local politics or top management)

Isso é mamão com açúcar.
That’s papaya with sugar.
(that’s easy)

É tudo farinha do mesmo saco.
It’s all flour from the same sack.
(it’s all the same bunch of corrupted people/top management that do not deserve to be above you)

Colocar mais água no feijão.
Add water to the beans
(More people are coming- be ready)

Fulano é arroz-de-festa.
So-and-so is party rice
(He’s everywhere, nobody knws exactly what he does, but he's always there)

Ficou uma uva!
Turned out a grape!
(turned out great)

Chicken Korma, the Hero Curry

2009-01-26T12:14:00.001-05:00

Another one from the London times...no curry powder in the authentic curries!

I shared this recipe with a friend recently and she loved it so much she called it "Shrimp Curry Hero" (she made it with shrimp - in this case reduce cooking time from 15 to 10 min)

Her picky kids loved it, so do mine.

Ingredients

4 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
5-6 garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped
6 tbsp vegetable oil
3 bay leaves
5 cm cinnamon stick
8 cardamom pods, crushed in a pestle and mortar
4 cloves
¼ tsp black cumin seeds (or regular cumin seeds)
130g/4½oz onions, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cumin
3 tinned plum tomatoes, chopped
1.5 kg/3lb 5oz chicken pieces, skinned and cut into serving portions
¼ - 1 tsp chilli powder
¼ tsp salt
3 tbsp single cream
250ml/8 ¾fl oz water

Method

Put the ginger, garlic and 3 tbsp water in the container of an electric blender. Blend until you have a smooth paste.
Put the oil in a wide frying pan or saute pan and set over high heat.
When very hot, put in the bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom pods, cloves and cumin seeds. Stir once or twice and put in the onions.
Stir and fry for about three minutes or until the onions turn brownish.
Put in the paste from the blender, and the ground coriander and ground cumin and fry for a minute.
Put in the chopped tomatoes and fry for another minute.
Add in the chicken, chilli powder, salt and 250ml/8 ¾fl oz water.
Bring to a boil. Cover, turn the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes, turning the chicken pieces over now and then.
Remove the cover, add the cream and cook on high heat for another 7-8 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Stir gently as you do this.

Fresh Start for a New Year? Let’s Begin in the Kitchen

2009-01-10T18:55:00.000-05:00

Mark Bittman's NYT column this week offers up an excellent must-have list of ingredients for running a successful family kitchen.

It's like he's been to my kitchen!

My favorite...

OUT Canned beans (except in emergencies).

IN Dried beans. More economical, better tasting, space saving and available in far more varieties.

Have you ever eaten at Wagamama?

2008-10-07T19:16:00.001-04:00

I used to live in London and became a regular at the Wagamama chain because my kids loved it. It has mostly noodles, some good, some just OK, but for the price, the speed and the cool waiters (guys and girls) I can say it is the only chain I will not refuse to eat at. They opened in Boston, hopefully will be in NY soon. My favorite dishes are the Japanese Curry and the Yaki Soba. They used to have the Yaki Soba on their website, but it has been removed. I have made it so many times, though, that I remember it by heart. I do use way less red pepper and I do omit the green pepper mentioned on the original recipe, mine is exactly like it was at the restaurant.

Yaki soba from Wagamama

For 2/3 people

Sauce:

Makes about 1/2 cup, you'll only need 3 tablespoons for the recipe, will keep well in the refrigerator for 2 weeks, and can also be frozen).

If you can't find the light and dark soy sauces (very common in the UK), just use 1 1/2 cup regular soy sauce and let it boil a bit more, needs to get thick.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup light soy sauce

1 teaspoon dark soy sauce

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons sugar

MAKE IT

In a small saucepan, combine the light and dark soy sauces, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook on the lowest possible setting for 10 minutes.
Leave to cool. The sauce will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.

Noodles:

INGREDIENTS

1 package fresh ramen of soba (I like Ramen better)

1 onion, chopped

4 scallions, cut into large pieces (1 to 2 inches)

Large handful fresh bean sprouts

10 raw medium shrimp

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into strips

1/2 red bell pepper , seeded and cubed

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons pickled ginger, cut into matchsticks

1 tablespoon dried shallots

1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted

MAKE IT

Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Drop in the fresh noodles and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until just tender. Drain them into a colander and rinse with cool water.
In a skillet (or wok), sautee the onions and bell peppers, add the chicken for 3 min, then the shrimp. DO NOT overcook the shrimp
Add the yaki soba sauce, scallions, bean sprouts, and shrimp. Toss well. Add the noodles and toss again.
Add the noodle mixture and stir-fry for 3 minutes or until the mixture is warmed through.
Beat and add the eggs and continue to stir-fry for 1 minute more or until the eggs are just cooked. Transfer to plates and top with pickled ginger, shallots, and sesame seeds.

CAIPIRINHA, THE RIGHT WAY

2008-09-16T10:52:00.000-04:00

The career decision-making Shrimp

2008-08-05T18:10:00.010-04:00

I quit my job recently. My company moved to NYC a year ago and because of the 4 hours daily commute I decided to stay in our “satellite” office in CT.

That Friday, I did not leave home in the morning thinking, “I am quitting today”. I have been frustrated for a while, and that morning was particularly bad.

My moment of truth came at lunchtime—I had brought the leftover shrimp I made the night before from home. I took 2 bites at the dish, looked at the beautiful day outside and thought to myself “That’s it, I am done”. I called, IM’ed and emailed my supervisor ASAP, I had to do it immediately

Of course now I will be broke and freelancing for a while, but I could not be happier.

Here is the career decision-making shrimp.

This is a classic dish from the northeastern Brazilian State of Bahia. It is based on African cooking techniques and flavors.

INGREDIENTS:

4 lb medium to large shrimp, peeled and deveined (keep the shells)
4 lb cassava, peeled and quartered (can be Goya frozen cassava, makes no difference)
6 tomatos, peeled, deseeded and chopped
a handful of chives and fresh parsley leaves, chopped
3 onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
salt to taste
1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
2 bottles or cans of coconut milk
a handful (or two) chopped cilantro
1 cup milk
½ cup dende oil (palm tree oil) –less if you have never tried it
Olive oil

PREPARATION:

Marinate the shrimp in salt, lime, pepper and some cilantro for 2 hours.
Cook the cassava in salted water, the shrimp shells, 1 onion, a bay leaf, to cover in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat for 30 minutes, until fork tender.
When done, puree ½ of the cassava in a blender or food processor, adding the coconut milk and 1 cup milk to get a smooth paste. Set aside.
Cut the other ½ of the cassava in cubes
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 3 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, red bell pepper, and cook another 8 minutes.
Add the shrimp and wait until they are cooked through (don't overcook). Add chives and parsley, season with salt.
Stir in the pureed and cubed cassava, cook stirring until the mixture is hot.
Taste and add more salt if necessary. Finally, stir in chopped cilantro and dende oil.
Add Tabasco or other hot sauce (we use malagueta pepper, might be too hot)
Remove from the heat, and serve hot with white rice.

The Real Carbonara

2008-06-28T22:51:00.004-04:00

I have this friend Eddie.

Eddie and I used to work together through chat and became good friends. He's a cool surfer dude from California who happens to be one of the most inspiring people who have crossed my way lately. I like him because he has no agenda and pushes my buttons all the time, and keeps me hip and going. Yeah, some drama involved, but at the end of the day, if I feel whatever, hell yeah, Eddie is the one I will call (or chat).

Eddie's only problem is, he has never tasted true Carbonara. He loves the one from an Italian NYC restaurant, but Oh mamma, they use cream on it, which makes it an Alfredo with bacon, not the real thing.

Hey Eddie, this 1's 4 u ;)

INGREDIENTS

3 eggs
1/2 cup grated cheese — any combination of Parmigiano Reggiano and/or Romano cheeses
1/2 cup chopped pancetta or good-quality bacon
1 clove garlic, slightly smashed but still in the skin
1 tablespoon olive oil
12 ounces spaghetti
Fresh ground pepper

PREPARATION

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook al dente.

While it cooks, add olive oil to a large skillet and saute pancetta and garlic on medium heat. Remove garlic from pan.

Drain spaghetti and add to skillet with pancetta. Let it sizzle then remove from heat. Transfer to a bowl.

Beat eggs and 1/2 the cheese in a bowl. Slowly add eggs to spaghetti and stir to coat. Keep stirring. Add rest of the cheese, stir some more.

The heat of the cooked spaghetti will cook the eggs. Season with fresh ground pepper to taste.

Takes about 20 minutes start to finish.

The pan obsession - the perfect Bouef Bourguignonne

2008-06-28T22:01:00.003-04:00

Not a long time ago, I met Corien and her girlfriend at Barnes&Nobles. I was telling them how much I liked my new discovery, the slowcook pan, and how I can make stews like "this".

Corien's girlfriend (who is French) was in shock, and told me the only way to cook a Bouef Bourguignonne is by letting it simmer for 8 hours in a Le Creuset pan.

Well, I finally got the pan (they are not cheap) and I have to tell you, makes a huge difference. Husband called me in the middle of the day to say it was so good he would pay for the pan himself.

Corien, you girls win! That's my new lime green pan. Never using that slowcooker for le Bourguignonne again.

Here is my recipe.

Very important: if you cannot drink the wine you're cooking with, forget about it and order something else in.

	30 minutes / 5 hours
Ingredients:
4 lbs beef shoulder (stewing beef) 6 oz bacon 4 carrots, peeled and sliced 1 onion, chopped 1 lb mushrooms, sliced 2 stalks celery, chopped 1 bottle red burgundy wine (young wine) 2 cups of beef bouillon (beef stock) 1ounce flour 4 tb olive oil 1ounce butter 1 small bunch parsley 1 sprig thyme 1 clove garlic, mashed 18 small white onions Salt and black pepper

Boeuf Bourguignon Recipe (serve 6)
1: Cut bacon into small strips. Simmer bacon for 10 minutes in water. Dry bacon.
2: Cook bacon in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan with the olive oil at moderate heat for 2 or 3 minutes. Remove bacon.
3: Cut the beef in 2-inch cubes. Using the same saucepan, cook the beef in the bacon's fat until browned. Remove the beef.
4: Still in the same pan, put the onion, carrots, celery and cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Remove the fat from the saucepan.
5: Mix the butter and the flour to make a paste.
6: Put again the beef and bacon with the vegetables in the pan. Add salt and pepper. Cover the beef cubes with the butter and flour mixture. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes, uncovered, and turn the beef cubes.
7: Pour in the wine and enough bouillon so that it covers the ingredients. Add small, white onions, garlic and herbs. Bring to a boil.
8: Cover the pan and simmer for 3 hours on a low heat. Boeuf Bourguignon heat very slowly. The meat is done when the fork slides out easily a beef cube. Remove from heat.
9: Saute mushrooms in butter. Add mushrooms to Boeuf Bourguignon. Garnish with parsley.

Boeuf Bourguignon is traditionally served with boiled potatoes and green beans.
Oh, dont forget the bread, and the same wine you used to cook.

2008-06-28T21:38:00.000-04:00